Is she going to die of hypothermia before the snake even gets to her? 

Jade pushed through the underbrush, determined to find shelter. A small cave or somewhere to start a fire was essential now. He didn’t have time to worry about the traps or the fact that they were essentially walking corpses, trapped in the forest with no way out. Alone, he might have given up already. But he couldn’t abandon the princess—the one who had foolishly come back for him. 

Surprisingly, he still had some shred of conscience left. 

‘I want to live.’ 

"People who want to live don’t come to this forest." 

‘I don’t want to die.’ 

"People who don’t want to die don’t do stupid things like that." 

Muttering to himself, Jade kept walking. Eventually, he reached the western boundary they had scouted the previous day. He reached out to touch the wall and was reminded just how strange this forest was. The barrier, which had been solid and unyielding the day before, was now gone. 

Their range of movement had expanded. It was likely just another trick of the basilisk, rather than a sign of hope. 

Jade followed a narrow path through the rocks, heading further west. After what felt like hours of walking, he pushed aside a thick tangle of vines and found himself staring at a temple. 

"This forest is insane. The princess is insane. The whole imperial family is insane." 

Jade laughed in disbelief. Covered in moss, though still majestic, the white structure stood incongruously in the middle of the monster-filled forest. It might have been an illusion, a trap of the basilisk, but to his eyes, it was unmistakably a temple dedicated to Theresia. 

With no other option, Jade carried the unconscious princess inside the temple. He didn’t believe in gods, but Kirona was royalty—Theresia's descendant. If nothing else, resting inside might bring her some comfort, and who knew, maybe there was still some divine power left inside to help her recover. 

Jade didn’t have any better choices. 

He carefully inspected the temple, ensuring there were no gargoyle-like monsters hidden in the shadows, then walked deeper inside. He laid the shivering Kirona down and pulled out his blanket. 

"Cold..." 

A faint whisper came from the princess. Jade hurriedly shook her shoulder, hoping she had regained consciousness, but it was just a feverish murmur. Kirona was still asleep. 

"Of course, you're cold. What did you expect? No one told you to come back." 

Habitually sarcastic, Jade paused when he spotted a fireplace in the corner. There was even flint nearby. Without wasting a moment, he covered Kirona with the blanket and checked her condition. Her lips had turned blue, and she was ice-cold to the touch. 

Taking a deep breath, Jade started to remove Kirona's wet clothing, though it felt more awkward than it should have. He was well aware that Kirona wouldn’t care in the slightest—royalty saw everyone as their servant. But he felt like some overstepping lover, touching the princess inappropriately. To keep the situation from becoming more uncomfortable, he kept telling himself it was necessary. 

Just then, Kirona mumbled again. 

"Where are we?" 

"We’re still in the forest. Are you awake?" 

"Am I still alive?" 

"Yes, you’re alive." 

"But I have a bad feeling. I think I’m going to be sick. I know the signs—I’ve been sick enough times to tell." 

Kirona still seemed dazed, barely aware of the situation. Before checking her temperature, Jade grabbed the flint to light a fire. 

"Let’s start by warming this place up. If we’re lucky." 

The moment he struck the flint, not only did the fireplace ignite, but all the torches inside the temple burst into flame. The once dark temple was instantly bathed in light. 

What he had thought was just a plain white building was now revealed to be one grand painting. From the ceiling to the walls, the entire space was covered in murals of Theresia, depicting her life from birth to the final chapters of the sacred texts. 

It was a meticulously crafted temple, so much so that it seemed absurd for it to be abandoned in the middle of a monster-infested forest. 

Jade gaped at the sight, but quickly shook himself out of it. He knelt beside Kirona and touched her forehead. He recoiled in shock. She was burning up with fever, her body practically a furnace. 

"Princess, are you really sick?" 

"I told you I would be, didn’t I?" 

"How can falling into the water give you such a high fever? Is this normal?" 

Jade hurriedly covered her with his own coat, panic rising in him. His mind raced, unsure of what to do. He had little experience dealing with illness. After all, mercenaries didn’t die from sickness—they died from wounds in battle. 

"Were you serious about being weak?" 

"I wasn’t weak 

before." 

"So, you are weak now." 

"I used to be healthier than most." 

Whether it was the fever or the stress, Kirona was starting to babble. Jade gave up trying to have a coherent conversation and instead searched through their supplies for anything that might help. Unfortunately, all he found was ointment for treating wounds.